Josh Bruce of the Saints (L) and Shaun McKernan of the Bombers compete for the ball during the round 16 AFL match between the Essendon Bombers and the St Kilda Saints at Etihad Stadium on July 10, 2016 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Michael Dodge/Getty Images)

“Shaun is a very focused and competitive young man, and when given the opportunity at senior level he’s shown he can add real value to the team particularly in his versatility to play as both a key forward and ruckman,” Essendon List and Recruiting Manager, Adrian Dodoro, said.

“Shaun is driven to play regular senior football and we hope with a big pre-season and continued development in specific areas of his game, he can achieve this goal at Essendon.”

McKernan, 26, has played 15 games in two seasons with the Bombers, after six years and 34 games with Adelaide.